34 Weeks

Dear 'A',
We have made it to 34 weeks! It almost seems unreal that you will be here in about a month. Your father and I are both so excited and each day we talk about you. Sometimes we talk about how you will look or about the foods you will like or the music you will listen to. Each of us project our likes onto what we think you will be most like. I think you will love all vegetables even cooked carrots (even though your father says cooked carrots are "yuck"). He says that you will probably like "bad music" because that's what I listen to and you've been around me more (at least 9 months more).

Even though we are so excited at the thought of holding you in our arms, we both want you to stay right where you are until you are fully "cooked". Last night was scary. I've had Braxton-Hicks "warm-ups" twice before last night and they can be a little scary. Last night within 1/2 hour of getting home from work, they started. I decided to lay down in bed and use it as an opportunity to practice my breathing techniques we learned in our Hypnobirthing classes. Then I started to get extremely nauseous and had some terrible GI issues that I won't gross you out with. I wasn't sure if I had a slight stomach bug that caused the contractions or the contractions caused the GI issues meaning I was in the beginning of labor. Even more scary was that I was home alone and wanted to have your father here with me. Well, the good news is I'm not really in labor. Bad news is the contractions have continued on and off today. It seems that you like to push back on my uterus when it contracts making it seem like you are fully extending both your body and my belly.

Working full time and running around as much as I do at work and home when you are 34 weeks pregnant apparently gives you nothing but more stress, swollen & tired feet, more heartburn and contractions. I need to slow down. I have been pushing myself too hard at work and at home and I've been letting work stress bother me lately. Too bad maternity leave is NOT a vacation (like some people think). I feel like I need one. Perhaps all this juggling will teach me how to better handle a bigger family life with my career. My goal next work week is to slow down and practice more relaxation.

Mucho,
Mama